According to a March 22 Internal Revenue Service News Release, 2018 federal tax filers might be able to have any penalties for an underpayment of estimated tax removed. This could be possible if they've paid at least...

According to research from McKinsey & Company, 15 percent of Internet consumers have become members of at least one subscription service in 2018. The consulting firm also found that these subscription-based...

When it comes to online advertising, there are many ways to reach new and existing customers for new product or service offerings. One approach is to create a landing page that emphasizes a unique or significant...

When it comes to selling, there are a lot of challenges in the industry. According to a 2016 report by Accenture and CSO Insights, 55 percent of sales professionals believe that their organization's sales tools...

Welcome back to the second and final part of our series on KPIs. In this portion, we’ll explore the best way to define Key Performance Indicators, as well as show you how to communicate them across your organization...

Key Performance Indicators, also known as KPIs, are core measurements that businesses use to monitor progress toward achieving goals and targets. KPIs, which vary widely by industry and entity structure...

When it comes to finding new clients, businesses can do so in many ways. Whether a radio or television spot, or an advertisement on a website, social media platform or digital billboard, the goal is to reach...

According to Statista, of the globe's 3.7 billion email users, 233 million live in America. The same report also projected that by the end of 2020, the number of email users in the United States will...

According to a report from FlexJobs and Global Workplace Analytics, the number of remote workers has increased since 2005. “The 2017 State of Telecommuting in the U.S. Employee Workforce Report” found that 3.9...

When it comes to organizations getting the word out, using internal public relations professionals can be quite effective. But how do you know when it is necessary to retain the services of an outside PR firm? ......

When it comes to selling online, gaining users’ trust is a serious matter for businesses. Based on a July 2015 poll from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, security and privacy concerns......

Franchise a Business? - When a business owner wants to expand his business concept across a region or the country, franchising can be an attractive option. According to the International Trade Association's 2016 Franchising Top Markets Report......

When it comes to businesses and organizations looking for talent, working with colleges and universities for future interns is a viable option. While projections for 2016 showed a 4.8 percent drop for internship opportunities......

Whether a business owner wants to sell a website or he has been approached by an individual expressing interest in purchasing it, understanding what it's worth is essential to a fair sale for everyone involved......

Equifax Data Breach - The massive Equifax breach means consumers need to be on guard against data thieves. The credit-rating company hack earlier this year left approximately 143 million peoples personal information exposed and vulnerable......

The potential for localized and location-based marketing is high – especially with estimates of retail sales from “beacon-triggered messages”, which grew from $4.1 billion to $44.4 billion between 2015 and......

When it comes to hiring the right candidate, a lot goes into the selection process. It’s important to evaluate a candidate’s qualifications to make sure he would make a good fit. This includes evaluating......

Is Selling a Product or Service More Effective than Selling an Experience?

July 2017

With the advent of the Internet, and especially social media, the difference between marketing a product or service to customers versus creating an experience can be a long-term challenge for business......

When it comes to selecting a domain name, there’s more than just registration involved. Selecting the right domain name involves a lot of consideration. This includes making sure it represents the company and its...

Whether a first-time entrepreneur is opening a new business or a serial entrepreneur is working on his next venture, a business plan is often necessary. While creating a business plan is extensive and consists of many...

Tips for buying a business - For some, starting a business becomes a lifelong endeavor that gets passed down to the next generation. For others, creating a business is only a temporary venture with a...

Advisory Board - Whether it's a newly formed company or an established one, getting an external perspective can be helpful to continued success, regardless of industry. What does an advisory board do and what are its primary......

Whether for a first-time commercial lease or if it's time to move to a bigger and better building with a new business lease, understanding all of the elements in the contract can avoid a lot of potential problems down......

At one point or another in a workers' career, burnout can likely become an obstacle. For some it can lead to their dismissal; for others it might serve as a pivot point to renew their careers. Whether an employee......

One of the first steps in conceptualizing and building a business is branding. An important component in branding a business is creating a name that makes a great first and lasting impression. For many startups......

While the number of foreign-born laborers in the United States has increased steadily, 16.5 percent in 2014 versus 14.8 percent in 2005, the opportunity to hire outside the United States has also increasedÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¦...

Without cash flow, it's only a matter of time before a business will close its doors. Right behind building a clientele base, invoicing is an important step in creating and maintaining positive cash flow over......

Employees who quit are a fact of life for business owners and their managers. For the owners and managers of some businesses, exit interviews can provide insight into why employees leave for another......

While there are many business successes, there are unfortunately many more business failures. Various factors, including the type of industry or the age of the business, can contribute to it's chances of failure, according to......

Office Layout Design: Choosing to Keep the Doors or Going for Wide Open Spaces

February 2016

While collaboration is a cornerstone of any workplace, the timeless question of whether or not go to a completely open office space still exists. While open offices have their advantages, there are some drawbacks to consider......

Continuing Education Alternatives: Is the Brick-and-Mortar University Obsolete?

January 2016

With more than 4,700 institutions across the country granting two- and four-year degrees, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the need for post-secondary education is in high demand. HOwever with the advent of the internet......

If one wonders whether the sharing economy is here to stay, one piece of data from "The Economist" will easily answer that question. In March 2015, more than 250,000 rooms were booked by 40,000 people in 192 countries...

Every day it seems like the cost of everything is going through the roof. How do businesses know how to charge the right amount to pay overhead and still make a profit? Understanding what factors business owners have to consider to stay...

Same-Sex Marriage: Legal, Regulatory and Benefit Changes Are On the Way

August 2013

The Supreme Court recently struck down the Federal Defense of Marriage Act. As a result, the many benefits that married couples enjoy will now be available to same-sex married couples who live in one...

Entrepreneurs face some significant choices in the initial phase of starting up a business. The mountain of paperwork can seem daunting to business owners who want to concentrate on selling their product instead of the minutiae of legal...

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, more than half of entrepreneurships fail within the first five years of existence. Former small business owners cite a litany of reasons why their...

The recession and economic uncertainty of recent years have presented challenges for many small businesses. As 2012 begins, economic recovery is tenuous and vulnerable to government debt and economic tension at home and abroad....

Blogging has permeated cyberspace. More than 160 million blogs worldwide host everything from personal ramblings and political musings to highly technical how-tos, financial planning and investment advice. Most...

Even in a strong economy, collecting unpaid invoices and having clients who are slow to pay can be frustrating. With the unemployment rate seemingly stuck at around 9 percent and the economic forecast...

If you’re a business owner, chances are you have a presence on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook. Social networking has become an integral part of corporate marketing departments. Skilled social marketing...

As a small business owner, both you and your employees need a plan that will provide the income flow needed for a secure retirement. There are many variables involved in choosing the right one. These include the number...

No business can survive for long without a positive cash flow – that is, more cash flowing in than flowing out. This is probably the top reason a business fails. In times of an economic downturn, you must be aware of...

If your business is like most, your clients come from diverse backgrounds and income levels. Some are old, some young and more than a few of them are among the millions of baby boomers approaching retirement. What...

When was the last time you asked your customers if they were happy with your products or services? No news is good news, right? Wrong!
While clients might seem happy, how much do you really know about their...

How many times in the past year have you been asked how your business is doing? You might need a laptop to calculate the number, and if you are like the majority of business owners in this economic climate,...

Mention an ESOP and some people might think you are talking about Aesop's fables. Though the two sound the same, it's doubtful the ancient Greeks ever considered selling their businesses through an Employee Stock...

One of my professional functions is to serve as a small business advisor. I give advice on income taxes, product pricing, employment issues and anything else that relates to a business. Questions can often...

On February 2, 2000, a young child died. The loss was devastating for his family, but what happened when his parents tried to file their tax return only compounded the tragedy. The Internal Revenue Service disallowed the...

On March 23, President Obama's long awaited health care bill was signed into law, but that was only the beginning of major changes to come in U.S. health care. This month's tax and accounting article discussed...

With a high unemployment rate, you might think it's easy to find employees these days, but successful business owners know that finding the right person for a position is essential. They also know that corporate culture...

Happy New Year - almost! With the way 2009 began, our main job may have been simply to survive until the end of this year. Though we've nearly made it now, there is still time to make 2010 a little easier. Here are a...

Do you remember your first job? Perhaps you worked at a grocery store. Or maybe a fast food establishment. Whatever the case, you probably thought the boss had it easy; he or she made you do the really hard...

Let's face it, we are experiencing tough times - and that might mean it's harder to make a sale. Survival these days requires you to 1) keep the customers you presently have and 2) attract new customers without...

Last month, we talked about financing your business. Whether you are starting a new venture or expanding current operations, one thing you can be certain of is that you will need cash. The question is: Where you will get that...

Starting a business requires much more than simply hanging out your “open” sign. Not only do you have a plethora of decisions to make, but you will also need to clear all the federal, state and local licensing and...

Is your business as profitable as it should be? Before you answer that, consider whether you are taking advantage of all economic development incentives your state has to offer. Even before the current economic downturn, most states offered some...

In March, we took a little diversion from our discussion of establishing a business. Now that we have seen the final economic stimulus package from Congress, it is time to get back to focusing on that......

In these difficult economic times, you might be asking yourself why anyone would start a business. With all the bad news, how could a new business possibly be successful? The truth is, with the right idea and a sound business plan, there is no...

The decision to go into business for yourself is one of the most exciting (and scary) decisions you may ever make. In this month’s article, the presumption is that you’ve decided you have the experience and qualifications...

As an employer, you know that the success of your business depends, in large part, on the success of your employees. It’s axiomatic that the more productive your workforce is, the better your profit...

I recently met with a friend and potential client to discuss a new business idea. The idea was intriguing and had a great deal of potential. The only problem, of course, was how to get the idea off the...

Recently, a business client dropped by to talk about a few challenges he faced in establishing his business. As the discussion wore on, it became apparent that, while his true vocation was in the field of education...

By some accounts, fraud costs the U.S. economy approximately $600 billion a year. As a business owner, you have a duty to yourself and to your employees to minimize losses to your company due to employee...

So, you’re thinking of taking your company public. Have you considered what your life, at least your business life, will be like if you work at a public company rather than a private concern? Do the...

There was a time, a long time ago, when the idea of "going public" was a magical thing. If you took your company public, it was almost as if you had "arrived" as a businessperson. Sure there were headaches,...

The High Cost of Government Regulation -ItÂ’s All There in Black and White

November 2005

If you have ever read the instructions to your form 1040, you surely must have seen the little section about the Paperwork Reduction Act. You know, the little recap in federal forms telling you how long...

Use the term "workers' compensation" around a new entrant to the workforce and they might just define it as what you pay them to work. Use the same term around an employer with a substantial workforce and...

When you were a kid, did you ever play the "hot potato" game? You know, the one where you had to get rid of the item considered the "hot potato" fast and not be the one caught with it? If you didn’t, don’t...

Don’t let the title of this article fool you; this is not an article espousing any particular viewpoint. However, in light of the political and business realities of this present age, we thought it might be nice...

How many times a year do you get a brochure from your insurance company advertising insurance to protect you against employment law violations? If you haven’t seen any yet, count yourself lucky. In this article, we...

Ask any farmer, kid or short-order cook what one of the more pressing questions in life is and you might get, "What came first - the chicken or the egg." Of course, you may also get a different answer, but...

If we were to tell you that selling stock in your company might well be a more expensive way to raise capital than borrowing, would you believe us? We wouldn’t blame you if you were laughing hysterically...

Let’s say you want to start this great new business. You’ve done some excruciating soul searching and you are certain that you have what it takes to make your new super-gadget business a success. At this point, you...

Has this been a hard year for your business? Has it been a good year or a bad year? Now that this year is ending, where do you go from here? It's a given that you want to move forward and grow, but how do you...

According to Shakespeare’s Juliet, "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." That may have been true in Shakespeare’s time but we imagine that there are more than a few master gardeners who would take...

You might think from the title of this article that we are about to have a lawyer bashing party, but we aren’t. No, instead, we’ll try to convince you that attorneys can be worth their weights in gold, and it’s not...

Before we even start talking about this month’s topic, we have to state for the record that we are not planning on teaching you how to deceive the Internal Revenue Service, your banker, your insurance agent or any of your company’s...

Personal records are a necessary part of life and, throughout it, many important documents and information will be required. It is important to remember that recordkeeping systems are as unique as those who use them....

One of the most talked-about sections of last year's new tax law is the one establishing Roth IRAs. Starting this year, you can open a Roth IRA, which differs in several important aspects from a traditional IRA....